The Twin Test

“He doesn’t read mysteries. He prefers scientific magazines,” Fern said.

“Science? I thought he was in business. Those types tend to prefer magazines like Forbes or The Economist.”

“Um...yeah. Land business,” Ivy said, frowning.

“Oh. Okay,” Pippa said. That explained his outfit today. Maybe he was a developer or an architect looking to build another safari lodge in the area. The idea of overdeveloping this wilderness made her cringe. They already had enough lodges and camps. She wasn’t going to ask his kids behind his back. It wasn’t right. “Well, if he likes science, this book has a lot of scientific evidence in it. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“He’ll never read it,” Fern insisted.

“Yes, he will. He told me he wants to borrow it.” A huge, massive, unforgivable white lie. “What’s the fun in a book if you can’t share what you’re reading with someone? Like you two, both reading the same history assignment so that you can discuss it.”

The twins glanced at each other and Ivy nibbled at her bottom lip. At least she seemed to have a conscience. Wait a minute. Dax had told her that Fern was the more timid one. Ivy, purple. Fern, green. Hmm.

“Grab your assignments and let’s sit at the patio table. It’s too nice of a day to stay in here. We can head out after that.” Pippa waited for them to gather their things and followed them out. The day was warm with a slight breeze that carried the scent of jasmine toward them. A perfect day for daydreaming. She sat and flipped the book open to just enough pages before the missing one to keep them on edge. Twenty minutes later, neither had written as much as a word; they’d merely fidgeted and passed notes. From the corner of her eye, Pippa watched the one she was beginning to suspect was Fern squirming, but Ivy kept nudging her with her elbow and scowling at her to stop.

“Oh, gosh, this is getting good,” Pippa said, as she flipped another page. She looked up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud and interrupt your work.” She resumed reading.

“Um, we sort of—” Fern jolted when Ivy kicked her under the table.

Pippa slapped the book shut and stood.

“I know what you did. I’m totally on to you two.”

“You are?”

“Yep. I can see that you sort-of-never-really did your reading yesterday, right? Which is why you have nothing to write about.”

The girls’ shoulders relaxed.

“That’s right. I mean, we were reading, but didn’t finish,” Ivy said.

“You weren’t really reading. Were you?” Pippa asked. She turned to the one in the purple headband. “Tell the truth, Ivy. Fern probably has better grades and does all of your essays for you, right?”

“That’s not true! My grades are just as good as hers,” the real Ivy to her left immediately countered, then froze.

“I thought so. How about wearing your own headbands?”

The girls reluctantly traded all purple and green accessories.

“How’d you know?”

“I didn’t. Not for certain, at least. Thanks for the admission, though. Care to admit to not reading, too?”

Ivy made a face.

“Is that how it’s going to be?”

“No—actually...”

“Shut up, Fern,” Ivy said.

“Hey, you two. No need for that. I just want to hear if you did or didn’t read the history book. Because if you didn’t, I have an idea that’ll give you something to write about, and it involves a whole lot more adventure than sitting around here,” Pippa said.

That got Ivy’s attention.

“But Dad said to stick to the lodge.” As if Ivy cared about rules. A lion’s roar startled the twins.

“Don’t worry. It’s not close by.” She stood and tucked her chair in. “What your father said was that I had to keep an eye on you and help you get your lessons done. We’ll be doing that. I mean, really, now. Don’t you two ever have fun?”

* * *

DAX WIPED THE sweat from his forehead and adjusted his sunglasses and hard hat. The afternoon sun beat down on the back of his neck.

Meeting with Ron again that morning had gone smoothly enough. Unexpectedly, he’d brought a younger engineer along with him—Steven—and assigned him to help out with Dax’s team. He also produced the general timetable for fracking activity in the adjacent field that was getting pumped. Dax had asked for the information yesterday, so that he could make out any interference activity in his readings. So now as he had a team of three of his own men—Syd, Lee and Alberto—plus two drivers, a cook and Steven...all provided by Erebus. Right now, Lee was in the trailer recording station checking all of their computer systems and programs. Syd and Alberto were helping Dax lay out geophones in straight lines and at even intervals, pressing their spiked ends into the dry soil like small lawn sprinklers, only without the sprinkler mechanism. He surveyed their work every thirty feet or so to make sure the grid line were getting laid evenly. Good 3D mapping and data depended, in part, on their geophone grid.

Steven carried over the cables Dax requested so that he could begin connecting the geophone receivers.

They’d be doing this for days. And they had to get the grid set up before they could bring in the Vibroseis trucks to send acoustic waves below the earth so they could start receiving data on subterranean structures based on those sound waves hitting them. That’s when the real work would begin for Dax—analyzing data via computer programs and mapping out what sat deep beneath their feet.

Seeing all those readouts and fine lines kicked his pulse up. He got to see things the average person didn’t...structures and formations thousands of feet down. A different kind of wilderness or undiscovered frontier...far from human touch, yet not impervious to human impact. Much like the Serengeti.